Omer Ihsas

Omer Ihsas and the Peace Messengers ( Innsbruck , 2008)

Omer Ihsas (* 1958 in Nyala ) is a Sudanese singer and composer . He became known for his modern interpretation of the folk music of his home region Darfur and his political commitment.

life and work

Omer Ihsas was born in 1958 in Nyala, the capital of the state of Dschanub Darfur . He began his singing career in 1977 and went to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum , in 1981 , where he studied at the Sudanese Institute for Music and Drama. Disappointed by the urban music scene, which he felt was not very diverse, he returned to Darfur and began to deal intensively with the traditional music of this multicultural region, which was characterized by diverse musical influences. In 1987 he founded his first own band, in which he integrated wind and string instruments into folk music for the first time.

When the political situation in Sudan became increasingly destabilized in 1989, he began to turn away from traditional love songs and to become more politically active. In 1991 the song Darfur Baladna (Homeland Darfur) became his greatest success. Ihsas began to get involved in various non-governmental organizations and, with his group Peace Messengers, to promote the preservation of the unity of Sudan, especially in the wake of the Darfur conflict . This is also reflected in the composition of his group, in which musicians from all parts and ethnicities of the torn country are represented. Despite the difficult situation, he still tours Sudan today.

music

In his music, which he describes as "Modern Sudanese Music", Omer Ihsas combines the diverse black African , Nubian and Arab influences of his homeland with expressions of modern pop music . In particular, he has expanded the instrumentation of this music to include string and wind instruments, but also accordion and electric bass . His group now includes ten to 16 musicians, sometimes up to twelve dancers are included in the stage shows. While Ihsas composes his songs with the help of the Arabic short-necked lute oud , he mostly limits himself to singing in his performances.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Omer Ishas . Greenhouse Innsbruck
2. ^ Sudanese Music & Dance Festival. Retrieved October 24, 2008 . 
3. ↑ Omer Ihsas & peace messengers. General Music Directorate, accessed October 24, 2008 . 
4. ↑ Omer Ihsas & The Peace Messengers (Sudan): Musical Ambassador of Peace. Sargfabrik cultural center , accessed on March 26, 2018 .